The present invention generally relates to object detection and, more specifically, to detecting artifacts based at least in part on digital signatures.
Identifying human-made artifacts, such as walls and handheld tools, at an archeological site can be difficult. Vegetation can grow over these artifacts as time passes. As a result, the artifacts are often not visible to the naked eye, or human access is time consuming and cost intensive, such as in rain forests or other remote locations.
Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) is a mechanism of using pulsed lasers to measure distances of objects from a source. LiDAR has been used to scan large geographical areas, such as archeological sites, for exploration. Specifically, LiDAR measurements can be taken to determine variations in surfaces, which can indicate the existence of human-made artifacts underneath vegetation. In some cases, LiDAR measurements are taken after a manual survey to limit the area that needs to be measured.
While LiDAR can sometimes be effective in identifying locations where human-made artifacts are potentially hidden, LiDAR measurements are expensive. Taking LiDAR measurements requires directing a laser systematically across an entire geographical region of interest, which can be time consuming as well. Further, LiDAR is not always as effective as desired, so even if the time and expense can be afforded, the results still may be unacceptable.